|
Advanced Harmonic Mixing
Last time we talked about the basics of mixing in key. Now I would like to introduce the more advanced techniques that can really make your mixing stand out and give you more control over the dance floor than ever before. Do you ever wonder why the crowd goes crazy at certain points in the night? Often times it is not what you are playing but what you play it with and when. The mood of the room is greatly affected by the key of the music that is playing. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty of how it all works.
Last time we talked about using key lock and the original key of the song that is currently playing to choose the next song. Always moving up or down one hour from the current keycode as shown on the circular wheel:
We also know that changing the pitch up and down changes the key of the song, unless we use our key lock function. If you increase the speed of a song by about 6%, you also shift the song's key up to the next higher key on the chromatic scale (technically a "half-step" or "semi-tone" shift). Your keycode shifts up by seven numbers. If you shift it up only 3%, you are half way to the next key (a "semi-tone" shift). A song in A-Flat Minor (keycode 1A) shifts to A Minor (keycode 8A) with a 6% increase in speed. A song in E-Flat Minor (keycode 2A) becomes an E Minor (keycode 9A) song with a 6% increase. The same is true for a 6% decrease, your keycode shift would also be 7. For example a 6% decrease from 10A would be 3A. Keep in mind this is a fairly large jump and will be very noticeable if you do it while the track is playing. If you are going to make a large pitch change while a track is playing I recommend doing it as a transition point so that it feels as if it's part of the song, or doing it gradually.
This next technique is best used only a few times during the night, when you really want to build it up and tear it down so to speak. The modulation mix provides exciting results by jumping a half step or whole step on the chromatic scale without significant changes in speed. For example, a half step jump (seven keycodes) may be from E-Flat Minor (keycode 2A) to E-Minor (keycode 9A). A whole step jump (two keycodes) may be from E-Flat Minor(keycode 2A) to F-Minor (keycode 4A) . This type of mix will bring the mood up or down depending on the direction of your shift. CAUTION: Do NOT attempt to overlay bass lines/melody in modulation mixes, only percussion segments of one source. Make sure the mix is complete when the new bassline/melody starts. Following the same procedures you can also modulate from a minor to a major key, or vice versa.
Now you can easily and swiftly move around the musical spectrum without ever clashing, and always sounding harmonically perfect. Keep in mind these rules only apply to music written according to the western scale. There are other scales and modes, non western music for example follows completely different intervals. Tribal music is a whole different story as well. “Sometimes you just have to feel it!” -DJ Sasha
If you have DJ-related questions for Dave
he can be reached by his private hotline at david@audiomidi.com.
Or call him at (818) 993-0772, or toll-free at (866) 283-4601.
As always, stay tuned to the audioMIDI.com eNews for the latest reviews and new product info.
| 
